Five police officers and 13-year-old boy killed in Israeli attack on Gaza
Al Jazeera correspondent Tareq Abu Azzoum reported that an Israeli air strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp near Deir el-Balah killed five police officers and a 13-year-old boy. The incident produced the highest daily casualty number since the 18 May ceasefire took effect. Gaza's Health Ministry said 31 wounded were also recorded over 24 hours.
Abu Azzoum's field report said the struck building was being used as a traffic police station; the 13-year-old who died, Yusuf Naser, was playing nearby. Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal said 'violations of the ceasefire agreement continue'. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said in his Cairo statement that the strike was 'contrary to the principles of mediation'.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Avraham Marmorstein characterised the action as a 'limited pre-emptive operation'. UN OCHA Palestine director Andrea De Domenico said after the strike that a 'humanitarian corridor review may be needed'. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said Türkiye 'condemned' the strike and called for an emergency UN Security Council session.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said 'full compliance with the ceasefire is mandatory'. The European Commission said the 'Gaza ceasefire monitoring framework' has been added to the 28 May EU Council agenda. Brent crude continues to trade at $96.80 despite the news; regional geopolitical premium continues to ease.
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